Voices against Violence

Lots of news reach me in India from home (both the German and the Swedish one) about the continued discussions about sexual harassment in our societies as more and more women come forward sharing their stories and more and more hatred is being spread by racist forces in various ways. As shutting up is not my thing here we go again.

The root cause of violence is inequality, the root cause of gender based violence is gender inequality. No country is free from it. In our trainings around the world (the next one of which is actually coming up just next week in Togo) we discover that violence against women is present everywhere, in varying forms and intensity, but nonetheless it is something that statistically every third woman in the world experiences in one way or another.

Violence comprises all kinds of discrimination and does not have to be counted in bruises. Violence against women and girls is when they are limited to make their own choices and develop to their full potential - not being safe in public spaces being one.

As this is the case everywhere, no matter where in the world we find ourselves, this issue is not about the girls or young women themselves - it is about the perpetrators and the norms and beliefs that globally reduce women and girls to objects to be used and abused - verbally, physically, psychologically.

With regards to the current discussions - no, there has been no silence about this. Voices are being raised in very many ways and have been for decades. However when you do not want to hear something you can avoid it. It is when a subject that you care about for which ever reasons touches upon these issues that you hear about realities that you had no had not heard of. This does not make them less real, or true for that matter. Learning about new things and challenging your beliefs is not always easy. Taking in other points of views is not either. But lashing out at facts and realities is. Diminishing and devaluing others experiences is. This is violence and discrimination, in fact.

I want to thank Ida Östensson for her courage, her wise words and her support for the cause to end violence against women and girls, despite the current attacks on her person in the public sphere. I want to send her all the courage and support that I can come up with. I want to give strength to all those who on a day to day basis work with victims of violence and with boys and men to break the circle of violence.

And lastly, I urge everyone to look reality in the eye - as a global community we need to achieve gender equality and end violence against women, whatever is being said it remains the single biggest human rights violation globally.

A life free from violence is everyone's right and everyone's responsibility to achieve.